Via Community News Service, in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton.
Poultney has been struggling a bit since the closing of the Green Mountain College in 2019.
But Michael Zhao hopes that through his business, he might be able to help bring people back to the town.
In September, Michael Zhao opened Poultney Coworking Loft, an office space that allows anyone with a subscription to use the space for personal work, board meetings, and private screenings.
“I think Poultney is a town with great fundamentals and a lot more going for it than people give it credit for,” Zhao said in a recent interview. “When people come in here and think that this is a nice place, that’s kind of how I want to think about Poultney.”
Zhao signed the lease for the building in July of 2024, with plans to renovate making the space open and usable. He bought all new desks and furniture to make the space inviting and comfortable, but he admits to worrying about some logistics he thought needed to be addressed.
“Before we started using it, I was really going through scenarios like, oh, what do we do about noise management? Do people need privacy? Is there gonna be so much demand for the private meeting room?” he said. “At the end of the day, we are just people and we don’t need all these rules and systems. I don’t think people need to be told what to do.”
After a lot of hard work and planning, the Poultney Coworking Loft was ready to open.
After a successful launch party on Sept. 10, 2024, with over 25 people attending, the Loft consistently has had two or three people a day doing their work and utilizing the space for board meetings, events and more.
“I think a lot of people came to our opening party really excited about this office space being here. I think it’s been great to have this meeting space where people can plan for things like Maplefest and hold monthly Poultney Journal meetings,” Zhao said.
The office space features many desks that can be reserved monthly, a coffee machine, a board meeting room, and a screening area for presentations.
These features are offered at prices as low as $30 a day. In the higher price brackets, patrons are given all community member benefits, a reserved height adjustable sit and stand desk, a key to the space, and the option to host one after-hours event in the space each month for free.
Zachary Horvath has been a member of Poultney Coworking Loft since its opening and values the convenience of a quiet space to work away from home.
“I live close by, so I can just walk here and it’s nice having a place to come and do work that’s not at home or a friend’s house,” Horvath said.
Nic Stark, another member enrolled since its opening, also enjoys the convenience of having a space to get work done while running into people he otherwise wouldn’t have if not for this space.
“It’s been great to have a place to come and get some extra work done on the weekends. It’s nice to get out of my house and bump into people, which is really nice because I just don’t normally have the opportunity to. It’s also nice to keep work separate from home,” Stark said.
Zhao said he’s happy to be in Poultney, feeling this community is the perfect place for his business.
“I think Poultney is really lucky to have such an established and strong community with such strong roots and neighborliness. That’s part of Vermont culture and I feel like when people see that in a place like this they feel drawn towards it and want to be a part of it,” Zhao said.